Christmas Stranger
by nipfreck
Summary: Kelsey is having a lonely Christmas, and a stranger comes to make it a bit more exciting. What about her boyfriend Joe Jonas?


Kelsey sat at the counter to the Starbucks, looking out at the bustling crowds cramming in last minute Christmas shopping. It was Christmas eve, and she was in New York with her family. She had finished the last little trinkets she wanted to get, and was nursing a hot chocolate. She wrapped her fingerless gloves around the foam cup, the warmth radiating from the material. She swung her feet, feeling melancholy. Sure it was almost Christmas, but she couldn't help being sad. Her boyfriend Joe Jonas was on tour, all the way in California. And odds are he wouldn't be back until sometime in January.

Kelsey sighed and flipped her phone open, checking to see if there were any new voice mails from him. She pressed the "1" button and held the phone to her ear.

"You have no new messages...First skipped message---"

She snapped her phone shut, her heart dropping. he promised he'd call her sometime today, and odds are he wouldn't be now since it was so late. She turned and looked over her shoulder, checking the worn down clock hanging on the wall. It read as 10:54 pm already. She figured she should call her mom to tell her she'd be running late, but decided against it. Odds are her mom was already in bed, since Kelsey had already warned her that she might be late because of all the ice on the roads. So she felt pretty much deserted right now; her family was all asleep and her friend Tracey was staying at her boyfriend Shaun's house for the weekend.

"Hey miss ya going soon? We gotta' close now."

Kelsey looked back again and saw a short stocky man reaching for his coat, looking at her pointedly. She nodded and hopped off the stool, grabbing the bag next to her in one hand, her half finished hot chocolate in the other. Using her shoulder she pushed the door open, and a blast of icy snow hit her in the face. She shuddered, her breath coming out in white puffs. She had to get to her bus, and she was praying that it would come quickly. not even out for two minutes and she was freezing.

"Going somewhere ma'am?"

Kelsey looked up at the person she had almost walked into, so preoccupied by her thoughts. He had a black ski hat on, and a grey scarf covering his face. His stylish black coat was open, revealing the tight red sweater he had on underneath. The only features Kelsey could make out were his long black locks, messy from the wind and his hat and his dark, inviting eyes.

"Damn I'm sorry, I wasn't paying attention to where I was going."

"Not at all, there are many worse people I could have bumped into." he said warmly. Kelsey's heart gave a jolt; his voice had the same tremor as Joe's.

"Actually, since you seem to be a regular here, I was wondering if you could direct me to the Rockefeller center ice skating rink? I'm meeting someone there."

"Oh sure, it's that away---" Kelsey went to point, but she realized that the crowds seemed to have increased in the past few seconds. She glanced at her watch, realizing her 11:16 bus was scheduled in the next 4 minutes. But something about this guy reminded her of Joe, and she felt compelled to help him. Heck, this was her good deed for the day damnit.

"I'm sorry I see you're in a hurry, I can figure it out---"

"No really it's no trouble, here...um just grab my arm so you're not lost in this mass of people..."

He chuckled, and reached forward gently wrapping his ungloved finger's around her wrist. She gasped softly, this guys finger's were radiating warmth. it felt delicious. but she shook her head once, and the guy chuckled. Kelsey looked up, confused.

"What's so funny? Did I miss something?"

His eyes crinkled at the edges as he smiled under the scarf.

"No, you just remind me of the person I'm meeting."

"...Right," Kelsey said, already trying to push her way through the crowd. She was pretty sure there were a couple of small children she knocked over in the process, but within five minutes she had the stranger at the entrance to the rink. She led him down to where you could rent skates, and waited while he bought skated for two people. When he finished his purchase, he smiled again under the scarf.

"Thanks for helping me, I swear I'd manage to end up in Harlem or something..."

His phone going off suddenly interrupted her laughter. He reached into his coat pocket and pulled out an iPhone. Same kind of phone Joe has.

"Hullo...? Oh hey!...Mhmmm...What?...No it's alright I understand...Okay...mhmm...Bye."

He hung up and took off his hat, running a hand through his unruly tangles. Shaking his head, he looked back up at Kelsey, who was looking a little lost.

"Is everything okay..."  
"Yeah, well no I guess. The person I was meeting up with can't make it..."  
"Ah that sucks, sorry about that."

He waved a hand distractedly, thinking about something.

"Say...are you in a rush? I mean if you are I totally understand."

Kelsey looked back at her watch. It was 11: 27 now, so she already missed her bus. What the hell.

"No not really now, my bus already left. Why?"

"Ah I'm sorry I didn't mean to make you miss it!" the guy gasped, but he recovered quickly seeing as Kelsey didn't seem to concerned.

"What shoe size are you? A six?"  
"Yup."  
"Perfect! Um, ya wanna ice skate? I know this seems totally out of the blue but I have an extra pair and I managed to rent the whole rink for the next thirty minutes---"

Woah, for 30 minutes? On Christmas eve? This guy must be loaded!

"Um sure I guess, but I don't know how to ice skate. Me and winter sports to not get along too well."  
"Have you ever tried it before?"  
"...No..."

He chuckled under his breath and his dark eyes, practically dancing with glee met her own. She felt his breath slightly through his scarf; it smelled faintly of cinnamon.

"How can you say you don't get along well with it if you've never tried it?"

He didn't wait for an answer as he gently tugged on her wrist again, leading her over to a bench to put the skates on. He helped Kelsey put her's on, since she couldn't figure out how to lace them up, then did his own. While he was doing his, Kelsey tried numerous times to find out his name. but for some reason, he wasn't telling her, rather ignoring the question or asking one of his own. By the time he finished, he knew her name, age, favorite color, favorite animal and if she liked Mexican food. And she still knew nothing about him. Fantastic.

"Oh quit sulking and come on!" he joked, tugging her up to her feet. She felt her ankles shaking, trying to balance on the blades. He seemed perfectly balanced on them, but Kelsey was shaking like a baby tiger trying to walk. She clung to his arm, while he chatted away.

"I still can't believe you've never ice skated before! I mean, do you live near any body of water or something? But hey it's okay, everyone's gotta start somewhere---"

He was cut off as he was dragged down a good seven inches; they had reached the ice and Kelsey hadn't been paying attention. So as soon as her feet connected with the ice, they slid out from under her. So she ended up plopped on the smooth, yet freezing ice, while he hovered over her, completely at ease on the ice.

"Why...are...you...able to stand???"

He smiled and tugged her back up; he was a bit taller than her, so he managed to pull her up within a moment.

"You get the hang of it easily. Trust me okay Kelsey?" He took her hand again and started to slowly skate forward.

"Mah no! Too fast!"

He looked back at her, seeing as she was clinging to his arm like her life depended on it. He sighed and smoothly glided back over to where she was.

"Watch okay? I'll go around once, so watch how I move okay?"

While Kelsey watched, He shrugged off his coat and rolled the sleeves of his sweater up. Kelsey couldn't help noticing his well toned arms, covered with what looked like very soft, almost downy black hair. But before it completely registered, he was off, as if his feet weren't even touching the surface. He moved with such a grace and air of complete freedom, it was incredible. She can only watch breathlessly as he traces his blades upon the ice. As if he was untouchable, flying, soaring over the gleaming surface, bathed in the moonlight, his hair dancing as he sped down the length of the ring.

"Your turn."

Kelsey blinked; somehow he ended up back in front of her. That went fast.

"Here take my hand, and just let your feet guide you." he offered helpfully. She took it, and he slowly moved, skating backwards so he could lead her.

"Just alternate your feet, glide on the left, then the right..."

Kelsey hesitantly leaned on one leg, and shrieked when her leg shot foward. He caught her and shook his head.

"No don't throw your whole body, just lean your weight on it okay?"

For a while Kelsey was struggling with it, but through her guardian angel of skating's constant help, she eventually got the feel for it, and was skating without his arm. It was so relaxing, the effortless-ness of movement, the quiet sound of sharp blade's cutting into the ice, the cool air brushing across her face.

"This is amazing!" Kelsey said as she turned sharply, the blades kicking up some ice. The guy laughed and kicked some back at her, nodding in agreement. Suddenly though, the lights on the perimeter of the ring shut down, leaving them bathed in darkness.

"What the---"  
"Hold on, maybe it's on a timer or something?" the guy asked, skating over to where one of the ring custodians was sweeping up. Stopping sharply, he leaned over the railing to exchange words with the guy. Once again, Kelsey managed to take in some of the more physical aspects of this guy. He was wearing tight white pants, showing off his legs---as well as some other features---quite nicely. Kelsey averted her gaze though as the guy turned and gave her a thumbs up; the custodian guy had meandered over to a fuse box. He flipped only one of the switches, and a giant spotlight fell onto the ice. The guy turned back to you and skated over slowly, tugging slowly at his scarf. He stopped only a few inches in front of you, close enough for his scent to wash over you. He smelled like something spicy and masculine; almost like Old Spice but more tantalizing.

Without thinking, Kelsey reached foward to the end of his scarf. Before she could start to unwrap it, he skated backwards, pulling a surprised Kelsey with him. He pulled her to the center of the rink, bathing both of them in the brilliant spot light. Kelsey felt his hand ghost over her chin, bringing it up to her lips. His fingertips rested there, feeling the contours and curves of her lips. Kelsey looked up, reaching back up for the scarf. This time, he didn't move away, but stood still, his eyes showing he was smiling again.

"Seems you caught onto me baby," he murmured, and Kelsey's heart sped up. She seemed to know deep down who it was all along, but she felt like a small child unwrapping a present on Christmas morning as the scarf was unwound. She slid it away, tossing it to the ice where it fell silently. All she wanted to do was stare into the beautiful, smiling face of her boyfriend, Joe Jonas.

"When did you get here?" she asked softly, running her hands through his windblown hair.  
"Only about two hours ago; I called your folks and they said you were shopping in the city near Rockefeller. I searched all over until I found you in the Starbucks...So then I ran over and rented the whole rink. They didn't mind at all," he said almost offhand. He was too busy hugging Kelsey to his chest, breathing in her cherry blossom body lotion.

"I...I missed you Joe," she murmured into his warm chest, feeling his muscles through his tight sweater. He brought a hand up to her chin, tilting her face upward. Their eyes met, and for a moment, time seemed to slow down.

"Baby, I couldn't stop thinking about you. I was distracted all through our performances. And you cannot believe the reception in the places we were performing, it matched the reception of hell. I felt horrible leaving you without anything for Christmas; I tried to get you a hippopotamus," Kelsey laughed and he ruffled her hair with his other hand, "---but I don't know if they'd let it through the mail...So I got you this instead."

Kelsey looked up, meeting his eyes. He seemed to be glowing with an inner warmth, despite the cold winter air. He gave her a boyish smile and Kelsey felt her heart flutter again in anticipation. She felt his breath upon her lips as he leaned in. His fingertips caressed her jawline, and her body trembled ever so slightly in response. His voice seemed so far away.

"Okay so I might be a little greedy since this is supposed to be your Christmas gift, but...I've been waiting for this for a long time Kelsey. It seemed as if the longer I was away from you, the stronger the wanting got. But I just wanted you to know...Well, I may not always be there in person, but I'm always thinking of you. I love you Kelsey."

"You're so amazing," she breathed out in awe, momentarily distracted from her wanting of his lips crashing down onto her own. "Do you not know how completely unselfish and absolutely incredible that was? I feel I don't deserve someone like you---"

Joe suddenly brought his lips crashing down, meeting Kelsey's like she had been waiting for. Despite the roughness and power behind his lips, there was a certain softness to them, thin and warm. She felt his own lips part slightly, and Kelsey took the opportunity to boldly run her tongue across his teeth, feeling the sharp edges to his canines. A rumble rippled through his chest as his own tongue pushed forward to explore her mouth. His tongue brushed against her own, tugging at it playfully. Kelsey felt her body instinctively pushing closer to his, wanting more of him. Her hands ran through his hair while his hands rested on the small of her back. Breathlessly, Kelsey pulled back, and Joe buried his face into her neck, breathing slightly ragged. Somewhere in the distance, a clock chimed.  
One

Two

Three

Four

Five

Six

Seven

Eight

Nine

Ten

Eleven

Twelve.

In the other world of the bustling city above them, a crowd of people cheered. Joe smiled into her neck, and looked up, his eyes hidden by his now ravished and messy hair. He kissed her lips sweetly, and hugged Kelsey tight to his body.

"Merry Christmas baby."


End file.
